


Experiment

by bookowl2000



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: AU-gust 2020, F/M, Let's hope Annette doesn't set anything on fire, Modern AU, Professional Rivals AU, They're going to work in a lab together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26192917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookowl2000/pseuds/bookowl2000
Summary: Annette is excited to start her internship at the Garreg Mach Research Institute. However, things quickly differ from her expectations, whether it’s her aloof partner Felix Frauldarius or the competition sprung up on them that instigates an intense rivalry between the two.What could go wrong?AU-gust Day 21: Professional Rivals
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11
Collections: AUgust 2020





	Experiment

**Author's Note:**

> I thought the AU-gust prompt "Professional Rivals" was really cool so I decided to try it out. I considered a few other professions before deciding to set them loose in in a lab, because science is fun. I should give a disclaimer that things may not be completely accurate, especially with lab conduct, but I hope you enjoy!

Annette straightened her button-down shirt for what was probably the tenth time in as many minutes. She had remained standing despite the fact she was alone in a room full of plush chairs. A glance at the clock told her that there was still a quarter-hour left until her orientation began. She had arrived far too early, but couldn’t help herself after a restless night of various nightmares where she arrived late.

Today was the start of her two-month internship at the prestigious Garreg Mach Research Institute. She had scarcely believed she had been accepted when she knew how fierce the competition was. After her interview with Dr. Hanneman, head of the microbiology lab, Annette was sure she had botched her chance.

Annette closed her eyes and pinched herself, not entirely convinced she wasn’t dreaming.

“Ow.” Opening her eyes revealed the same sleek room decorated with portraits of famous alumni and microscopic images. The double doors the secretary had left through remained stubbornly shut, the one barrier left to what she hoped would be an invigorating and beneficial experience.

Annette tried to busy herself with her phone but was too nervous to take pleasure in anything. As the time slowly approached nine, Annette wondered when her colleague would arrive. The internship was open to two university students in Fódlan. Annette hoped whoever she would be stuck with for the rest of summer was decently nice, at least.

As if he heard her thoughts, a man suddenly rushed in. He barely spared a glance at Annette before walking to the other side of the room, also standing as he leaned against the wall. Clearly he had no intention to speak with her, with his face directed down towards his phone.

Taking the opportunity to observe him, Annette conjectured the mystery man was around the same age as her. He had dark hair that was tied back into a messy bun, sharp eyes, and what seemed to be a perpetual frown. He was lean and dressed similarly to her in professional attire but he seemed less at home in it, constantly tugging at his sleeves.

Annette decided to take the initiative and introduce herself. Used to being mistaken as much younger, Annette had always endeavored to make a strong first impression.

Annette placed herself in front of him yet the man remained focused on his phone. Rude.

“Good morning. I’m Annette Dominic, it’s nice to meet you,” she greeted, undeterred as she offered her hand with a bright smile.

Piercing amber eyes met hers as her potential colleague slowly returned his phone to his pocket. He shook her hand, and Annette felt there was some hesitance on his end.

“Felix Frauldarius,” he droned, his voice deeper than she expected. “Likewise,” he added, as if an afterthought. The look he gave her felt critical, but Annette couldn’t discern his opinion with his aloof expression.

“Are you a part of the summer internship as well?” she asked when Felix made no attempt to continue the conversation. She hooked her fingers in her pockets in an attempt not to fidget. She didn’t want to seem nervous and discredit herself in any way.

Felix ran a hand through his hair. “Yes.”

Already, the experience was wildly different from how she imagined. She had spent hours reading articles that described interactions in a research lab. They gave her the idea of a cooperative workplace, where she and Felix were to bounce ideas off each other and compare each other’s notes. Nothing about Felix seemed to imply any of that would happen, though.

Luckily, she was saved from having to continue the awkward conversation when Dr. Hanneman walked in.

“Good morning,” he greeted, his smile warm. “I’m glad to see you two have already met, for we have a busy day ahead of us indeed!”

Felix pushed himself off the wall and walked towards Dr. Hanneman without a glance back at Annette. She hurriedly followed and tried to keep her expression from souring. She would prove herself to him, and then Felix Frauldarius wouldn’t be able to ignore her!

Annette’s annoyance soon morphed into amazement as Dr. Hanneman gave them a tour of the institute. It was clearly well-funded, with pristine hallways and multiple labs filled with expensive, high-tech equipment. Annette tried not to feel out of her depth, reminding herself that she deserved her spot here with her hard work.

Admittedly, Annette felt a little starstruck around the research director. After her interview, she had looked up Dr. Hanneman’s publications. She found he had written dozens of papers and contributed to textbooks she had studied.  
She tried not to stutter whenever he asked her a question and found he was quite kind. Dr. Hanneman certainly had his quirks, with his out of fashion monocle and pointed mustache, but they served to help Annette soon relax into an easy rapport with the man. The day was finally looking up, and with an improved mood Annette was able to enjoy herself and shine with her insight and answers.

Felix on the other hand, only spoke when prompted, and even then only gave short, clipped answers. It was reassuring to Annette that it wasn’t only her he treated that way, at least. At first, she had wondered if he was arrogant. However, she had dealt with many egotistical men in her life, and the way Felix spoke was not so self-entitled.

It was when they finished, and Dr. Hanneman guided them into the lab they would work at, when Felix finally looked interested.

“The rest of this week will be for training. You will learn the basic procedures and protocols of a microbiology lab. I’d suggest bringing a sturdy notebook. Any questions?” Annette noticed Hanneman twisted his mustache at times when he spoke.

Felix shook his head.

“No, thank you,” Annette answered.

“None? Really?” Hanneman rested his chin in his hand. “Well, I hope that will change soon. Questions are the key to knowledge, especially in research.”

Annette now wished she had a question.

“Ah, I almost forgot. There will be a sort of competition.”

“A competition?” Annette echoed, her brow furrowed. She and Felix shared a surprised look, solidarity apparently found by the common ground of being confused interns. Annette didn’t recall the mention of any competition on the institute’s website, and she had explored every page.

“Yes, yes. This summer you’ll be assisting my and other associates’ research. However, if you’re interested, I’ll ask that by the end of this session you submit a research proposal. That along with your performance will be used to determine which of you will be chosen to return next semester for another internship. You’ll be given the chance to work on your own proposal, fully funded by the institute.” Hanneman had grown giddy as he explained the details.

“Do you accept?”

“Yes.” She and Felix answered at the same time.

“Wonderful!” Hanneman continued by informing them of their schedule, but Annette only paid half attention. Her mind was instead focused on the competition, which she desperately wanted to win. The chance to explore a topic that interested her without restraint would be a dream come true. It would be amazing, for her and her resumé.

A glance at Felix showed her he seemed just as determined as she was. Well, she was glad now that they hadn’t gotten along well. She would beat him without remorse.

“You start tomorrow at 10. Please stop by Mrs. Martha on the way out for your entrance passes.”

Annette thanked the director and left, mind whirling with ideas for her research proposal. The day had been full of surprises; what was supposed to be a learning experience now had heightened stakes. Still, Annette relished a challenge, and she knew not to underestimate her opponent when he was chosen for the prestigious program as well. She’d just have to work harder than she ever had before.

***

Their first week was grueling. It was like they were swimming against a rough current, needing the full extent of their knowledge to stay afloat while being bogged down by the immense amount of things they had to learn, such as how to use equipment they had only read about theoretically. All of this while they were locked in a silent battle with each other.

Annette, competitive to the bone, spent all her free hours studying to prepare herself for whatever Dr. Hanneman, or his associates Lindhart and Lysithea, threw at them. However, she could never gain an edge, for every question she answered Felix answered the next. She had an eye for detail that Felix lacked, but Felix was able to think on the spot better with creative solutions.

She wanted to say she hated him for it (and she definitely complained about him to Mercie), yet she couldn’t deny the exhilarating rush of it all either. With the charge of competition in the air, every victory was that much sweeter, and every defeat compelled her to work harder.

Otherwise, she and Felix hadn’t interacted much outside of greetings (always initiated by Annette) or mumbled apologies when they got in each other’s way. Annette tended to chatter when Lysithea or Lindhart were around, but Felix never joined in. Annette was too busy wondering why Felix was so cold to notice he did pay attention to her at times.

Overall, Annette’s first week passed by in the blink of an eye. Now that training was done, she and Felix were allowed to begin individual, unsupervised work.

For Annette, that meant letting Mercie drop her off on her way to work at seven in the morning, hoping to enjoy a few hours of solitude before Felix came. They had to arrive much later the week before, and Felix had never arrived as early as she had. She liked to think that that would continue, and she could enjoy serene mornings just like she did during the semester at the campus library.

“Good morning Mrs. Martha,” Annette greeted on her way in. Annette had befriended the elderly secretary almost immediately.

“Good morning, sweet-cheeks. You’re here early.”

“You know what they say, the early bird gets the worm.” Annette chatted with the women for a bit and took a chocolate candy when she left (she knew better now after the scolding she got the first time she politely declined).

Once she was settled at her workbench, she read her assignments for the day. Dr. Hanneman’s task required working with Felix, unfortunately, so she decided to start with preparing Lindhart’s cultures. It was a simple procedure, she’d streak a bacterial sample along a Petri dish with her loop in an attempt to isolate colonies.

To Annette, the loop resembled a wand. As if she was a fairy, she gave a flick of her wrist after each completed step. Inevitably, this led to her dancing, which led to her singing.

“Bacteria, bacteria, why won’t you grow?  
I’ve given you your nutrients, don’t be slow.”

She set the first Petri dish down and spun as she finished the first verse, then picked up the next dish.

“Bacteria, bacteria, why won’t you grow?  
I’m waiting for your colonies, come say hello.”

She lit up the Bunsen burner. “Divide! Divide! Don’t be a crow.”

“While entertaining, I don’t think that’ll help them.”

“Gah!” Annette nearly dropped the equipment in her hands as she jumped, startled. She turned to see Felix, who was standing by the doorway and seemed almost... amused. She couldn’t tell, really. It was a new expression on him.

“Felix! What are you doing here?” Annette was mortified and was sure her face matched her hair at that moment.

Felix’s brows furrowed. “Same reason as you are.”

Right. Except she hadn’t expected him to arrive so soon after her.

“Please tell me you didn’t see anything.” Annette could live with him hearing her song, she felt. But for him to see her waving the loop around as she spun in circles?

“You have nice footwork.”

Could the ground swallow her alive? It would be better than this, her rival mocking her. She could only stare at him in horror, and Felix looked back unabashedly without saying anything either.

“You’re evil, Felix!”

“And you’re angry.” He sounded confused, like he was asking her.

As if Annette would fall for that. He barely spoke to her before, now he suddenly had so much to say? His intentions could not be pure!

“You can’t just spy on people while they’re singing. That’s creepy!”

Felix gave a deep sigh. “I wasn’t spying on you, I came for work. I tried to say something. It’s not my fault you didn’t hear.”

“You weren’t loud enough then! Oh, this is terrible,” Annette began muttering, almost as if she were speaking to herself. “I had to choose this song. I could’ve chosen the song about... brain-eating amoebas! Or, or the Black Plague!” She threw her hands up in the air, exasperated.

“I didn’t realize there was a song about something as dire as the Black Plague. Intriguing.”

Annette considered the repercussions of stabbing Felix with the loop. “Oh you absolute terror. You are the worst!”  
Annette stormed away, scowling as if steam blew out of her ears. The issue was she couldn’t go anywhere except to the other side of the lab. Felix’s unofficial side.

She had no reason to be there. Regardless, she picked up a random tool and returned to her station. Luckily for her, Felix didn’t say another word and began working.

Annette tried to ignore her lingering embarrassment as she continued her earlier work. The few times she surreptitiously glanced at Felix she found he was focused solely on his work. Maybe he would forget the song and she’d eventually get over her shame and-

“You could continue singing if you’d like. Fills the silence.”

Felix was just trying to annoy her at this rate.

“No. If you want the silence filled _you_ can talk,” she retorted, her jaw clenched.

“I don’t like to talk when I’m working.”

“Well then I don’t like to sing when I’m working.”

“I doubt that.”

Annette groaned and hit her head against the counter.

***

“It was awful Mercie. I had to work with him after as if nothing had happened. This is so embarrassing.” Annette fell back onto the couch, covering her face.

Her friend gave her a reassuring pat on the leg. “It doesn’t have to be, Annie. I still think he liked your song.”

“No! He was just making fun of me! And now he has the perfect piece of blackmail to use against me. No one will take the silly girl singing to bacteria seriously, and I can just say goodbye to the internship,” Annette lamented dramatically.

Mercedes handed her a muffin. Annette sat up and begrudgingly took it, munching on it angrily.

“If he didn’t tell anyone earlier, I doubt he’ll tell someone now.”

Mercedes’ answer was logical. The problem was Annette threw all logic out the window when it came to the infuriating Felix Frauldarius.

“You never know Mercie, he might be waiting for the perfect chance to discredit me. I’ll just have to convince him not to tell anyone tomorrow.” Annette pumped her fist. “I’ll intimidate him into silence.”

Mercedes only rubbed her temples in response.

Annette gave her friend a hug and a bright grin, her mood suddenly changed with her new hope. “Everything will be fine.”

***

Everything was not fine.

“I can’t forget it. It’s permanently etched in my memory.”

Annette could only stare slack-jawed as Felix continued. Her hopes and dreams were crumbling in front of her.

“Why did you say don’t be a crow? What’s wrong with crows?” Felix’s arms were crossed and his head titled as he questioned her.

“I’m also intrigued by the Black Plague and amoeba songs.”

“Ah and that move that went along with ‘don’t be slow,’ was that fencing footwork?”

Annette could not take this anymore.

“Stop it, Felix! You’re such a villain!”

“Hm? I was only asking questions.”

“Oh really? You think you’re so funny, mocking my songs with a straight face as you ‘ask questions.’” Annette made quotation marks with her fingers as she said the last part.

Annette was indignant, and was so focused on her speech she didn’t notice Felix’s bewildered expression.

“Felix, you have to forget about it, please,” she pleaded “What if I write your lab notes for you? I know you don’t like doing those.” Labs required meticulous detailing of all steps, something Annette enjoyed and Felix barely tolerated.

“I don’t want you to-“

“Fine. Be that way! Tell everyone here for all I care. I’ll just have to live with the fact that no one will take me seriously anymore. I’ll never get the internship after you tell them,” Annette huffed. “You’re the evilest of villains!”

Annette ran out of the room before Felix could have a chance to reply.

**Author's Note:**

> Annette and Felix are fun, aren't they? I will admit I have only written established Netteflix before because it's easier than working out their relationship lol. But this is still fun and why not attempt the challenge? I'd appreciate hearing what you think!


End file.
